“Toby!” Jet glared at me.
“I want them to hear us.”
Several scrawny men in lab coats ran into the room. I aimed my gun at them. “Take me to Victoria or die.”
One pulled out a knife. I shot them in rapid succession. Several brawny men ran into the room, all bearing weapons.
Chapter 20
Victoria
The sounds of gunfire woke me from my deep, forced slumber. I pressed through the fog and opened my eyes. As far as I could tell, I was alone in the room. Crashes and more gunfire sounded from the other side of the door.
“Where’s Victoria?”
My heart skipped a beat.
Toby?
Glass shattered against the door on the other side and the gunfire continued.
I fought against the restraints. They burned as they dug into my skin. I cried out, but given all the noise in the next room, they probably couldn’t hear me.
There had to be a way out of the restraints and off the bed. Nothing was within reach. But there was a knife on the counter. It was about three feet away. If the bed had wheels, could I get over to it? There was only one way to find out.
Grunting, I shifted my weight, throwing it as far to the side as I could. The restraints stung as I did, but I ignored the pain. The wounds would heal and my pack needed me. I shifted my weight again, the poison searing my skin.
The bed inched over. My heart nearly stopped. I’d actually done it. If I kept this up, I could get over to the counter and try to reach the knife. It was a long shot, but it was something. It was all I had.
I gritted my teeth and shifted my weight with all the force I could muster. Horrific pain shot through me, stronger than before. But the bed moved closer to the counter and the knife.
More noise sounded from outside the room. Something crashed against the door followed by yelling. One of the voices sounded like Toby, and I swore I heard other pack members in the mix.
Clenching my fists, I waited for the pain to subside before hefting my weight toward the counter again. Sweat broke out along my face and arms from the poison in the restraints. It had to be something specifically to harm werewolves—I’d never before felt anything that hurt with such intensity.
Tears stung my eyes and perspiration clung to my clothes as I forced the bed closer to the knife. I still had so far to go, and then there was the matter of managing to pick up the knife and free myself while tied down with poison digging into my skin.
I yelled out, but there was so much noise in the next room that nobody would have heard my cries.
Focus.
I had to do one thing at a time and not worry about the rest until I made it that far.
Glass shattered against the nearest wall. I took a deep breath. For now, I needed to get myself over to the counter. The pack needed me, and that was how I could get myself to them.
Gunfire blazed again, some bullets hitting but not penetrating the walls. I shuddered before throwing my weight closer to the counter. Tears stung my eyes as the poison dug further into my skin. Or worse, what if it was in my bloodstream?
I considered yelling again, but didn’t want to waste my energy. Nobody would hear me, or maybe the wrong people would and they would do something worse to me.
Shouts and cries continued from the other side of the door and several things slammed against the wall in rapid succession. Some medical instruments—torture devices?—fell to the ground. Some stuff rolled over to the path between the bed and the counter.
With any luck, they wouldn’t get in the way of me reaching the knife. I threw my weight as hard as I could toward the coveted blade. The bed seemed to move farther than the other times, but it was too difficult to tell for sure given the poison. I couldn’t take the pain, and I cried out. Sweat dripped into my eyes. I tried to wipe it with my shoulder, but couldn’t reach. It stung my eyes, blurring my vision.
It was then that I realized I was still yelling. I held my breath, wanting to save my voice. Everything looked fuzzy and discolored. Whatever was on the restraints had to have gotten into my system and into my sweat. My eyes watered, mixing with the perspiration but not helping with the stinging.
“Victoria?” came Toby’s muffled voice.
“Toby!”
“She’s in this room!”
“I’m tied up!” I cried.
“The door’s locked with a code. We’ll get you out. The—”
Thud, thud, crash!
“Toby!”
Crash!
I held my breath and forced the bed closer to the blade. Then I tried again to wipe my eyes but I just couldn’t reach. My shoulders were held in place just far enough that no matter how far I craned my neck, it was still out of reach.
My stomach twisted in knots and then lurched, threatening to release its contents. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore my body as I flung my weight toward the counter again.
More horrific pain ran throughout my body. My stomach heaved again, and this time, I vomited, barely making it land away from myself and on the floor. Once my stomach gave up, I kept my eyes closed and forced my weight and the bed closer to the knife.
“Toby!” My voice barely came out louder than a whisper, and given the sounds of fighting on the other side of the wall, there was no way anyone could hear me. The poison clung to my flesh, making it feel as though it was falling off. Through my tears, I could see that it was only purple and swollen—very much still attached.
I ignored the throbbing, searing pain and inched the bed closer and closer to the counter until the bed finally made contact.
The knife sat beyond the edge.
Just out of reach.
Chapter 21
Toby
Ten more men and women ran into the room. I gasped for air. How many were there? We’d just fought off what had to be more than fifty. So far, we hadn’t lost anyone, although I had sent a couple who had been injured back to Moonhaven before they got themselves killed.
It was time to use the stone.
I banged on the door separating me from Victoria. “Are you okay in there?”
“Trying to… break free…”
“I’ll save you,” I promised. “Just give me some time.”
One of the younger pack members flew across the room and crashed into the wall next to me. Several of the society members laughed.
Yes, it was definitely time to shift. I ran behind a desk and crouched down, calling for my inner wolf as I undressed. Something—or someone—smashed into the desk, ramming it into my side. I pulled the wolf essence stone out from my pocket and slid it over my neck so I could shift back when I needed to.
Hurry!
My wolf howled inside, the sound bouncing around my head.
A rib popped. Then a hip.
Glass shattered behind me. A bright green liquid dripped down the wall. Yelling and screaming followed.
My neck snapped followed by an elbow. Fur sliced through my skin. I bit my tongue in an effort to stay silent until I fully shifted. Before I knew it, I saw everything from a wolf’s perspective.
A woman in a lab coat walked around the desk. My fur stood on end, and I released a low growl.
Her eyes widened and her face paled. The scents of shock and fear drifted my way. She turned away. “He… there’s a wo—”
My wolf lunged for her, biting down on her neck before she could finish her sentence. The woman dug her nails into our skin, but quickly fell limp, landing on the ground with a thud. My wolf and I blended into one mind as we landed on our side and slid across the floor. I rose and shook off before growling again.
“Wolf!” someone cried.
“They do have the stone!”
“Get him!”
“Kill the wolf!”
“Find the stone!”
I bared my teeth and my wolf and I together jumped on the nearest society member, tearing into his jugular vein. Blood gushed out, spraying into my eyes and dripping all around. I jumped off him and shook
my head as he crumpled to the ground.
My wolf took over, and I slipped into the background as he growled and ran toward a society member who was about to hit Jet in the back of the head.
When I came to in my human form, I lay on the far side of the room, opposite my clothes. Only Jet, Sal, Bobby, Soleil, and a few of the younger pack members remained—all still fighting with twice as many society members. I rose and stretched out my sore muscles. My neck popped and a gash in my side ached. It was already starting to heal, but it was pretty deep, so it would take a while.
I sprinted across the room, but before I reached the desk, Soleil stepped in front of me and stared into my eyes. “We need to heal that gash.”
“It’s already healing.” I darted around her.
She grabbed my arm. “It looks infected. What did they do?”
“I don’t know, but I need my clothes.” White dots danced before my eyes. I shirked out of her hold.
“Let me heal you. I’ve still got witch essence, and I need to release some of it—it’s making me sick.”
“I…” My voice trailed off as the white dots doubled in size and I grew light-headed. I lost my footing and stumbled forward, barely catching myself on the desk.
“See?” Soleil scolded.
Rainbow-colored stars danced among the white dots. My eyelids grew heavy to the point that I couldn’t keep them open. She grabbed onto my shoulders. A gust of wind blew my hair as her wings spread open. My eyes closed all the way, and a moment later, I felt the familiar silky swirl pulling from my chest for just a moment. Then it moved back, more silkiness going down into my chest than had been removed.
Strength radiated out from the new essence, bouncing around my insides. The wound in my side ached less and less until it felt like nothing at all.
The essence flowing down my throat snapped out. I stumbled backward and glanced down at my side. Not a mark remained.
“Get dressed.” Soleil’s eyes glowed green and her wings remained out. She turned and ran to Bobby, who was being pinned by three men twice his size. Soleil expelled essence on the werewolves, sending them flying against the wall behind them.
I ran behind the desk and found my pants only. None of my other clothes were in sight. I pulled on the jeans and ran over to Sal, who was fighting off two society members who were just as large as he was. I grabbed one of them by the hair and shoved him into a shelf.
“Leave him alone!”
His face paled. “How’d you heal from that?”
I threw him onto the ground and stepped on his chest, glaring at him. “You don’t get to ask questions. This is for hurting my family.” I pulled out my blade and threw it at him, hitting directly in his heart. His eyes glazed over, and I pulled my knife out and stabbed the other man attacking Sal in the back. He slunk to the ground.
My ears rang from the sudden silence in the room. The only sounds were from my friends and me breathing, and also some muffled noises in the room Victoria was in.
“Are they all dead?” Bobby asked.
The door we’d entered through slammed shut. A tall, slender brunette in a pantsuit sashayed to the middle of the room and glanced around. “You’re going to have to pay for that.”
I clenched my jaw and sauntered her way. “You think you’re going to take on all of us?”
She adjusted her collar. “I’ve killed more men with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back.”
We stared each other down.
“Who exactly are you?” I demanded.
She tugged slightly on her intricately twisted bun. “My name is Briony, but I doubt you’ve heard of me. We keep a low profile.”
“Not that low. Release Victoria.”
“After all I went through to capture her?” She grabbed her stomach and laughed. “Not going to happen, Tobias Foley of Moonhaven.”
I flinched. How did she know my name? But then again, how wouldn’t she, since they’d bugged our home and kidnapped my wife?
She smirked.
“What do you want?” It took all my self-control not to shout. A vein in my forehead pulsed heavily.
Briony held out her palm. “The wolf essence stone. Then you can leave and never worry about it again.” She stared at my chest, where the necklace rested, unable to be hidden since my shirt was missing.
“Fat chance.” I twisted my knife and aimed it at her. “The rest of your society is dead. You’re next.”
She laughed. “You’ll find I’m not as weak as they are.”
I ran at her and dug the end of the blade against her neck. “And you’ll find that you gravely underestimated the Moonhaven pack. We knew about the bugs you planted.”
Briony didn’t flinch. “I know.” She twisted my arm in one quick motion, causing my shoulder to pop out of place.
I fell to my knees, unable to find my voice or breath.
Her nostrils flared. “You can’t stand up against me. You need me.”
Jet and Sal ran over and forced her against the wall. Sal wrapped a hand around her neck. “Nobody speaks to Toby like that.”
She gagged and pulled his hand from her neck. “I did.”
I managed to regain my breath and pop my shoulder back into place, then I jumped up, digging my blade into her neck until blood dripped down and soaked into her shirt. “Unlock the door so Victoria can come out.”
Briony shook her head. “We need each other. As long as your precious wife is locked in there, you’ll do what I want.” She furrowed her brows. “Hand over the stone.”
“You’ll have to pull it from my cold, dead body first.”
“As you wish.” She pulled out a gun from the folds of her pantsuit.
Soleil appeared out of nowhere, knocked the gun out of Briony’s hand, and kicked it across the room. Bobby scurried over, grabbed it, and cocked it, aiming it at Briony.
Her eyes widened, and the scent of terror filled the room. “Wait. You need me. I know more about the witch than you do.”
I froze. She knew about Azure? Or did she mean Gessilyn? “Which one?”
Briony glared at me. “The one connected to the stone. You know who I mean. Her name starts with an A… What was it again?”
I exchanged a worried glance with Jet. Did she really know about Azure? Given that the society had been searching for the stone for centuries, it only made sense that they knew more than we did.
Jet shoved her. “How can we believe you? You don’t even know her name.”
“You people are threatening to kill me—small details don’t matter.”
Sal stepped closer, holding up a fist. “The witch’s name is no insignificant detail.”
Briony flinched. “I can’t think under this pressure! Amalie? No. Angelique? No, that’s not it. A… A… Oh, come on! You know I have more resources than you. Look at this place!” She panned her palm around the room. “This little part of the lab holds more technology than all of Moonhaven and the Faeble combined.”
My mind raced. “Why would I believe you would actually help us with the witch?”
“We want her dead, too!”
Jet and I exchanged a confused glance. Could we trust her?
Chapter 22
Victoria
I craned my neck, trying to bite onto the knife. It was just out of reach. If only I could move over just a little farther. Some of the vibrations from the fighting in the next room had inched it even closer to me. I only needed a little more.
Something crashed into the wall and the blade moved slightly. I grabbed onto it with my teeth. My heart raced. I actually had it.
I balanced it against my shoulder to get a better grip on the handle, and I rubbed the blade against the rope pressed over my shoulders and chest. After just a few motions, tiny pieces of the rope snapped. It was almost too easy, but the poison soaking the restraints had to be weakening it.
Just a few minutes later, the last piece of the rope snapped, and it fell to the ground, freeing the upper part of my body. I still h
ad rope wrapped around my elbows, waist, and knees. Those would all be trickier, and then there was the matter of dropping the blade in just the right spot so I could grab it with my hand.
I leaned forward and tried to figure out the best place to let go. One wrong move and it could bounce onto the floor, completely out of reach. My pulse drummed in my ears as I did my best to gauge the right spot to drop it.
Finally, I let go just to the right side, where it seemed like I could get it but it wouldn’t be too far. It bounced a little on my lap—my throat went dry—but it didn’t fall. I strained for it, stretching my fingers.
My longest finger brushed against the handle, but I couldn’t grip it. I bounced my leg, trying to move the blade closer.
It was almost there.
I strained and twisted as much as I could. The ropes dug into my skin, searing it with pain. Sweat broke out along my face, threatening to drip into my eyes again. I wanted to make those werewolves pay for doing this to me.
At last, my finger and thumb gripped the handle of the knife. My heart raced. It hardly seemed real, but I had it. I readjusted it until I had a solid hold on it. Then I twisted my wrist and pressed the blade against the closest rope. It sliced through the restraint easier than the last one. After just a couple minutes, it snapped and fell loose.
Only a couple more and I’d be free—of the bed, at least. There was still the matter of getting out of the room, which was locked with a code those other werewolves would never give us.
I worked feverishly on the remaining restraints until at long last, the final one snapped off. My heart raced as I stared at it, hardly able to believe I was actually free. My skin still burned from the poison and my muscles ached. I held onto the sides of the bed and sat up straight, twisting my neck and pulling on my arms to loosen the tight, sore muscles. Then I stood, keeping my hand on the bed.
My legs wobbled, but strength returned to my body with each movement I made.
I had done it! I was halfway free. Now it was just a matter of finding a way out of the room, and what I needed was a way to bust down the door. The knife would be useless. So would the other instruments laying around.
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